IECRC (USA & Canada)

August 16, 2003 / Jamad-uth-Thani 1424

Volume 1, Issue 2 (Part 5)

After death and before the Day of Judgment, between this world and the other, there is an interim world called the “Realm of Barzakh”.  All humans and jinn live in this world after death. In this realm of Barzakh, some experience peace and others pain, based on ones actions in this world.

It is our belief that even after death, the soul’s connection with the body remains.  If the soul is separated from the body and the body experiences rest or shock, the soul will feel it and be affected by it; just like in this life when the body feels ease or pain, its sensations are experienced by the soul. Similarly, in the realm of Barzakh, whatever reward or punishment the body faces, its pleasure or pain is received by the soul.

It is also our belief that the souls of the believers, according to their levels, rest in different stations.  Some stay at their burial site, some at the well of Zamzam (Holy water of Makkah), some between the sky and earth, some in the skies, some in lanterns below the Throne, some in the high ‘Illiyyeen (level of Heaven).  Wherever the souls are stationed, they are connected to their bodies.  If anyone comes to their burial site, the deceased can see, recognize and hear the words of the visitor.

Similarly, the souls of the disbelievers also stay at their grave or burial site.  Some are at a sewer pipeline in Yemen.  Some are below the seventh earth.  Some are in “sijjeen” (prison). Wherever the souls are, they have a connection with their respective bodies. Therefore, anyone who comes to their grave or burial site, the deceased can see, recognize and hear the words of the visitor.

Some people believe that after death the soul goes into the body of another person or an animal.  Believing this takes one into the realm of disbelief as we do not believe in the philosophy of reincarnation.

It is our belief that after death, regardless of where the deceased’s body is, he or she is visited by two angels called Nakeer and Munkar.  These angels question the deceased: “Who is your Lord?”, “What is your Deen?”, and they ask about the Prophet Muhammad (prayers and peace of Allah be upon Him) , “Who is He ?”  If the deceased is a believer, he or she replies correctly that my Lord is Allah, my Deen is Islam and that Hazrat Muhammad (prayers and peace of Allah be upon Him) is Allah Almighty’s Messenger.  Then, a window into Heaven  opens for him from which cool and fragrant breezes keep coming into his grave.  And the deceased rests in comfort and peace and sleeps in happiness in his grave.  If the deceased is a disbeliever, then his response to all the questions is that he doesn’t know.  Then, a window from Hell is opened for him and hot and foul air blows into his grave.  The deceased is made to suffer severe punishments and he remains restless and tormented.  The angels beat him with rods.  His evil actions punish him in the form of snakes and scorpions.

It is our belief that the deceased talks and his speech is heard by all creation except humans and jinn.  If a human hears the talk of a deceased, he will surely lose consciousness.

It is also our belief that the graves of believers and good people expands 70 times.  The graves of some people expands to as far as their eyes can see.  And the graves of some disbelievers and sinners constricts so much that the ribs of one side moves to the other.

It is our belief that whatever punishment and reward the deceased experiences, only the deceased is aware of them.  Alive humans are not aware of these happenings; just like a sleeping person in his dreams sees different things and experiences comfort, pain or pleasure and an awake person next to him is completely unaware of the sleeping person’s experiences.

The deceased can receive the rewards of the good works they did in this world, either through pious children or any other deed they did as a Sadaqa Jariya (ongoing charity).  Also, they receive the reward of any good actions anyone does for them, which is why it is essential to remember our dead by reading Quran and doing other good deeds for them.  This is called Isaal-e-Sawaab.

One must therefore not consider death as the end of life, but only that the soul has moved onto a different realm where it experiences the realities of that world while waiting for the eternal abode of the Hereafter.  May Allah Almighty by the waseela (connection) of His Beloved Prophet (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) help us lead a righteous life and grace us with His Mercy in the Barzakh and Hereafter. (Aamin).

The majority of the above article was translated from “Jannati Zewar”, an Urdu text written by Allama Abdul Mustafa Azhari Azimi Mujaddidi, who was a prominent scholar of Ahle-Sunnah and Shaykh-ul-Hadeeth at Darul Uloom Amjadia, Karachi, Pakistan.  The Shaykh was a Khalifa in the chain of Imam Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi (may Allah have mercy on him).  Many well-known Ahle-Sunnah scholars are from among his students.  “Jannati Zewar” was published  in 1369 Hijri (Islamic calendar) by Mushtaq Book Corner, Lahore, Pakistan.